Waste recycling chaos

He was answering criticism voiced during the meeting's public forum.

Following an appeal by former forum chairman and vice-chairman Cllr Stuart Wood, there was a healthy attendance by representatives of town organisations at Tuesday's meeting at Bexhill College.

Angry Holliers Hill resident Tony Leigh had told the meeting he represented neighbours who had put out their waste during the launch week of the new system only to find that it was not collected because letters dated May 31 but postmarked June 5 informing them of the change of day had not arrived until June 6, the day after scheduled collection.

Mr Leigh, who is disabled, said he had to ask a neighbour to take the rubbish back in and to put it out again on the Friday.

He said many elderly neighbours had also been inconvenienced.

He asked: "What is going to happen? Are we going to follow Hastings, where there has been a wonderful cock-up?

"I learned on Sunday morning on the news that millions of tonnes of refuse is not going for recycling but sent to India and China for landfill."

The Rother leader told the meeting: "The new recycling contract has not been without its problems but I would like to take the opportunity at this forum to say to the general public 'Thank you for being so patient...'

"I would also like to say thank you to those unsung heroes on Rother District Council, those staff who have fielded phone calls. They have worked tirelessly and extremely hard to give accurate answers to the public."

The leader told the meeting: "Bear with us and we will get it right."

Referring to the national story that recycled material was going to overseas landfill, he said: "This is just not true."

Cllr Maynard is also a county councillor. He said: "What we are doing is building an integrated recycling network throughout the county."

A composting plant was being built at Halland. The incinerator at Newhaven would also generate enough electricity for 19,000 homes in the area.

"We cannot landfill for ever. We are committed, not just in Rother but the county council as well, to an integrated solution for this county."